Last Day in Lisboa

We took the tram to Belem this morning, to go to Mosteiros Jerónimos.  It was not our first visit to the site, but it was our first visit inside the cloisters.  Construction began in 1501 and was completed 100 years later.  The stone sculpture throughout the structure is incredible.  It is done in Manueline style, with no two doorways or posts sculpted the same.  The attached Church of Santa Maria is stunning, and is the final resting place of Vasco da Gama.

We walked across the park to the Monument to the Discoveries (shrouded in scaffolding as it is being cleaned) and to the Tower of Belem, then down the waterfront to the new MAAT, Museum of Art Architecture and Technology.  We had a typical Portuguese lunch of fish and vegetables in Belem and stopped at Pasteis de Belem for pastries before taking the tram back into Lisbon.  As we walked to our hotel, there were tv cameras and police all over the Praca do Municipio, where our hotel was located.  The King of Spain arrived at 4:30, for a visit with the Prime Minister of Portugal.  We watched as the King arrived and walked past the military.  We did a bit of shopping at 

Principio Real, before calling it a day.  It was another terrific day in Lisbon!

Lisboa

We are in Lisbon for the last days of our visit to Portugal.  We've spent time in Lisbon before and enjoy it.  On this visit, we are struck by the amount of major renovation going on.
Standing in one spot, Papa counted 12 cranes working.  As Lisbon is quite hilly,
he was looking at a rather small area.  Lisbon gets better and better!

We had lunch at Time Out Market, a new dining concept with 30+ restaurants preparing and serving food in the same huge space.  We ordered our lunches at two different restaurants and both were delicious.  We went back late in the day for a snack.  Time Out Market is a terrific concept!

We are staying at Alma Lusa Hotel on the Praca do Municipio, just a block away from the Praca do Comercio.  After checking into the hotel, we shopped, then visited two incredible churches.  First up was Ingresa Sao Roque, with its simple facade and ornate interior of gold, mosaics, fresco ceiling, inlaid wood, azulejos, and marble.  It is the most ornate church we've ever been in.  We shopped along the way to Ingreja de Sao Domingos, with an incredible history of suffering through two earthquakes and a major fire.  It was rather haunting, majestic, and beautiful.

Just before sunset, we climbed up the steps of the Rua Augusta Arch, overlooking Praca do Comercio and the old city of Lisbon.  The colors of Lisbon are stunning, with Castelo de Sao Jorge overlooking the Tejo River, laundry hanging from balconies, and the amazing mosaic sidewalks.  Lisbon has mazes of streets on either side of a major corridor through the city.  Its easy to get around on foot.  We walked across Praca do Comercio to the Tejo River to see the sun set, along with hundreds of other people, all cheering the last moment of sun, while a musical group played and people danced.  We love Lisbon!

Cabo Espichel

After our Pousada breakfast in Palmela, we drove 25 km to the end of the road at Cabo Espichel.  The landscape was stunning, with tall cliffs pounded by the Atlantic Ocean.  We walked around Santuario de Nossa Senhora, a church built for pilgrims in the early 1700's, and the Capela de Hermida de Memoria, built in the 1400's.  We walked above the cliffs to the lighthouse, built in 1790.  It was a beautiful day and the coastline was breathtaking!

We began the drive back toward Palmela with a stop at the castle in Sesimbra, where we visited the village chapel with its interior walls covered in azulejos.  We drove down the hill to the city of Sesimbra for a walkabout and lunch on the waterfront.  The day was perfect!  We drove along the coast back to Setubal and on to Palmela, stopping at beaches along the way. 
Portugal's coastline is stunning!

When we returned to the Pousada, we were greeted by Fernanda, at the reception desk.  She has lived her life in Palmela.  She gave us advice about our day's adventure, so she wanted to hear about it.  She invited us for a glass of wine in a local cafe.  We ordered local wines, cheeses, and sweets, and spent a couple of hours talking with Fernanda.  What a wonderful experience for us! 

When we came out, the stars were out and the castle was lighted.  Another great day!

On to Palmela

We left Sao Martinho do Porto early this morning, to take Whitney to the airport.  We had a wonderful time with her, and enjoyed seeing more of Portugal.  The primary reason we travel is to learn and this trip has exceeded our expectations.  It was even more special to share it with Whitney!

This trip has spurred us to read more about the history of Portugal and its people.  They were the world's main economic power during the Renaissance.  We are currently reading The Portuguese, by Barry Hutton, and The First Global Village, How Portugal Changed the World, by Martin Page.  Both books are giving us new perspective on the people, the land, and their history.

We watched seaweed harvesting in the Sao Martinho bay, so we've been reading about that process and its uses (harvested by hand in Sao Martinho for primary use as food, secondary for vitamin supplement and skin care).  We've seen thousands of cork trees with bands of bark removed, with 50% of worldwide cork production coming from Portugal.  We've seen more ancient windmills than we saw in The Netherlands!  We've enjoyed seeing churches and exploring and staying in castles.  

We are staying in Pousada Castelo Palmela for a couple of nights before  going to Lisbon.

Thanksgiving Dinner in Obidos

We spent much of Thanksgiving Day in Obidos.  Our family visited Obidos during
Christmas/New Year's of 1993-1994.  We enjoyed walking along the castle walls and Whitney shopped for souvenirs of her week in Portugal.  We celebrated Thanksgiving Dinner at 

Pousada Castelo de Obidos.  We have much to be thankful for.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Convento de Cristo in Tomar

We spent a few hours visiting the Convento de Cristo in Tomar.  Papa and I visited three years ago and were impressed by the facilities and stories that make up Convento de Cristo.  The convent was founded by the Templar Knights in 1118 and mostly built over the next few years, with new convents and chapels added over the next four hundred years, and the aquaduct completed in 1614.  The most unusual thing about the main chapel is that there are no pews.  It has high ceilings and every inch is adorned with color or carving.  The Knights of the Templar came inside this chapel on horseback. 

Batalha and back to Sao Martinho

Yesterday morning we drove to Batalha, to tour the monastery erected in the late 1300's after the king's victory in an important battle.  We loved the two different cloisters 

and enjoyed the intricate work in the unfinished chapel. 

We came back to Sao Martinho for lunch and a walk around the waterfront.  Sao Martinho is a beautiful small town in an amazing natural location, with an almost perfectly round bay.

Sao Martinho do Porto And Surrounds

We rented a house in Sao Martinho do Porto for our week with Whitney.   We stopped on our way from Lisbon to Sao Martinho, to see the Mafra National Palace.  It was hard for us to imagine the place being entirely built between 1717 and 1755.  The library at Mafra was over the top, 

with 36,000 leather bound volumes from the 1700's.

Sunday was a rainy day, but we went to Nazare late in the afternoon and enjoyed an hour 

of cleared skies, and later a hike down to the beach nearest our house.

Whitney had a surf lesson on Monday morning in Baleal, a village about 20 miles from 

Sao Martinho.  Papa and I watched Whitney and walked about the village.  There were big waves, a bit of rain and a rainbow over Baleal.  We drove to Peniche to see the ancient Fortaleza, 

and then to Alcobaca, to see the monastery begun in the mid 1100's.